


Proud

by Reignsdown_ShatteredGlass



Series: Kings and Queens Series [1]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 20:06:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3622560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reignsdown_ShatteredGlass/pseuds/Reignsdown_ShatteredGlass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Roman Reigns is struggling with having to fight again for his place in the main event of wrestlemania. All he needs is a gentle reminder of who he is and where he comes from and that'll get him where he's going. Roman Reigns/OC pairing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Proud

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Yoh_ii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yoh_ii/gifts).



> This is my first Wrestling fanfic, so please be gentle! All comments welcomed! anything you recognise isn't mine and no offence is meant with the following story.

Jules Hannah tried to navigate the streets as she followed the directions her father had given her to the hotel that the wrestlers often use. Her dad has been one of the medics way back when and apparently nothing had changed all that much. It had been a whole lot of fun for her growing up in the business, the people she met and places she had been to and had seen and had experiences someone else her age wouldn’t have been afforded. Meeting the love of her life had just been one of those experiences, even if it had taken them forever and a day to realise that small little fact. Both ending up in long term relationships with people that although amazing, just weren’t _right._

Jules glanced at her phone as the familiar ring tone filled the car, smiling at the ridiculous face looking back at her from the hands free holder she had attached to the windshield. She rolled her eyes at the fluttering in her stomach and ran her fingers through her fringe before she pressed the button on the steering wheel to answer the call, quirking a perfectly arched brow when she realised it was a face time call coming through.

                “Well hello there,” She told him, eyes flitting between him and the road, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Long time no see.”

                His usual smile was absent, a small little quirk of his lips was her reply before his deep voice came over the line; “What are you up to, baby girl?” he sounded dejected, hurt, he just sounded like he was _done._ The fact that he had skipped any kind of formal greeting was signal enough that this would be one of those conversations that would scream _small talk_ and nothing more.  The thing with him though, was he was the strong silent type, and would suffer in silence until he couldn’t do it anymore and then would explode with whatever was bothering him.

                “Heading home.” Jules told him, smiling into the camera as she pulled up to a set of lights, it was a small lie, but he wouldn’t have to know that. Not yet, anyway.

                “Party at my folks?” There was rustling on his end and Jules frowned, eyes flicking over to the display, realising he was making his way along a hotel lobby. Good. He would be alone.

                “Yep. He’s proud of you, you know.” She pointed out; knowing it’s what he needed to hear. It was a thing, as soon as he had been called up to the main roster, someone would host the viewing party for RAW and Smack Down; bring some food or a bottle and it would be a family gathering. She’d always loved the size of his family, her family being tiny and distant.

                He snorted on the other side, the door of his hotel room opening and closing as she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel he was staying in. “It’s not like I have a choice, Jules. Its bullshit.” He sighed and ran a hand down his face, “I’m sorry, baby girl.”

                Jules hated hearing him sound so run down. He’d waited a long time for this, a long time for creative to make the decision and run with it, give him the shot he’d worked so hard for and now they were taking it away from him. No-one had said those words, but it wouldn’t take a genius to work out where this was going. “Rome,” she sighed, tucking her deep red hair behind her ear and shutting the engine off, taking her phone from the cradle to hold it and really look at him. “You don’t need to apologise for this shit, ever. We’ve talked about this before, if you need to talk it out or rant or whatever, do it.”

                “I didn’t even ask how your—“

                “Rome. Seriously, I bitch to you about work all the time. There’s nothing at all wrong with you talking to me. You’re sexy as hell when you’re brooding and mad, but I miss that smile of yours.” She smirked to make her point and smile he did, even if it was a small smile, she counted it as a win for team Jules. “Alright, I’m putting my headphones in, I need to get to the apartment and I have shit to carry.” Jules didn’t want him to see that she was right outside, Dean had already text her the room number and she was all set, she blew Roman a kiss before switching to a voice call and pulling in her headphones, tucking the phone into her back pocket the second she was out of the car.

                “You’ve put me next to your ass, haven’t you?” His deep voice rumbled over the line and she chuckled as she made to gather her things.

                “Yipp. You can kiss it while you’re there.” It was a cheap trick, one that always made him laugh, had done for as long as she could remember, it made him slightly chuckle tonight but that was it and Jules bit back a sigh.

                “I miss you.”

There is was. The three words that caused her eyes to water and her throat to tighten up. The three words that started the whole thing. The three words that never failed to speak volumes to her even if it were the only three words he said in a three hour conversation.

                “Miss you too, Roman.” Jules finally got out, closing the back door and shouldering her bags. “You have days off this week, right? We’ll go do something, just us.”

                “I have meetings this week. I have like, half a day at most. It’s not even worth getting on a plane for.” He was being grouchy and it had everything to do with work and nothing to do with anything else. For someone as confident and fun loving as he was, there was still the insecurities. The not being good enough in his father’s eyes. Not living up to the expectations.

                “Fine. I’ll go to the zoo and you can come with me. I’ll even hold you so you don’t have to look at my ass.” Jules smiled at the receptionist as she made her way towards the elevators, his dry chuckle being drowned out by him landing on the bed.

                “You’re ridiculous.” There was a hint of a smile in his voice.

                “Hell yes I am. How long have you known me and this is just you discovering I’m ridiculous?” Jules coughed loudly as the elevator door pinged, mentally cursing herself for not taking the stairs. She nodded her thanks to the man who stepped aside to let her in; keeping up with her coughing fit pretence until the door closed.

                “You good?”

                “Mhmm.” She told him, turning around and unpinning her hair and pressing his floor. Seth and Dean were Godsends sometimes. She ruffled her soft waves and took a deep breath. “So what’s the game plan? Got any injuries to ice?”

                “We both know I don’t ice, baby girl.” Came the deep rumble, swiftly followed by more rustling and Jules was fast becoming curious as to what was going on on the other side of the line.

                “Then what the hell are you doing?” she blurted out, loud enough to mask the ping. She did earn herself a chuckle from him and her lips quirked into a smile. Involuntary smile, damn him.

                “Trying to get changed one handed so I can pass the fuck out and get on with this stupid storyline.”

                “Oh.”

                “Yeah.”

Jules felt for him. She really did, but as she neared his door she couldn’t help but grin at the prospect of cuddling with a sleepy and hacked off Samoan. It was selfish and she knew it, but even as she knocked on his door and then stepped back, she couldn’t really muster up enough guilt to make it matter. She frowned when she got no answer to her knocking, Roman telling her about a new gym in the area Seth had suggested that they check out. She knocked again, pressing her ear against the door and hearing him talking to her on the phone.

                “Are you in your apartment yet?” he huffed and Jules outright laughed.

                “I’m trying to get in.” She told him, knocking the door again and biting back a cackle at his litany of swear words he let out.

                “What’s up buttercup?” She quipped, knocking the door harder and stepping back again.

                “Really, Juliette?” He huffed and Jules growled, “There’s some asshole banging on my door and won’t take a hint.”

                “Then go show said Asshole that you’re a force to be reckoned with.” Jules instructed, chuckling when he told her he was going to do just this and she presumed that he’d thrown his phone on the bed. She grinned, putting her hand in her pocket and looking at the door, counting the steps as he made his way over, listening as the lock disengaged and the door swung open.

                “Listen buddy---“he stopped dead, eyes going wide as she rocked on her heels, her face breaking out in a massive smile.

                “You were saying?” She grinned, desperate to throw her arms around him, but he stood there, stock still until his smile matched hers and she was wrapped up in his arms, feet off of the ground as he buried his face into her neck. Her bags dropping to the floor as she clung to him for dear life. Jules had forgotten how good this felt, how good it felt to be wrapped up in his arms. It had been a few weeks since they’d managed to spend any time together; her shifts and his days off hadn’t leant themselves nicely to it, but she was here now, here and _home._ With him. Where she belonged.

                “The fuck you doing here?” He mumbled, giving her one last squeeze before letting her go enough she could slide down his body, but there wasn’t any space between them, she could feel him breathing, the steady rise and fall of his chest as she wrapped her arms around his waist, his hands making their way into her hair as she knew they would.

                “Because you’re grumpy as all hell and someone had to straighten your face.” Jules smirked, raising an eyebrow at him at she looked up at him, scowling when he tugged her hair.

                “So they sent you?” his face was straight but Jules could see the smile tugging the corners of his lips and she shrugged again.

                “We drew straws.”

                His laugher caused a smile to burst across her lips and she smiled up at him before showing at him to push him into the room, lest he woke up the entire corridor. As soon as he took the hint, she bent down to grab for her bags, practically throwing them into the room the closing the door. Roman stood there, a smirk on his face and his hands on his hips as he watched her tug off her jacket and throw it over the chair.

                “You,” She pointed at him, “Go shower. I’ll sort out the food situation.”

Roman didn’t move, he just stood there with a lopsided smile but looking more tired than she could ever remember seeing him. “shoo.” She waved her hand towards the bathroom, and rolled her eyes when he pointedly walked over to the bed and grabbed his phone, ending the call and settling the device on the nightstand, before sitting on the bed and leaning his elbows on his knees.

                Jules straightened and put her hands on her hips, raising an eyebrow at him, biting her lip when his eyes fell to the floor. As jovial as their reunion was; she knew what this was. He was reaching the end of his rope, albeit slowly and he needed _something_ to help; but he wouldn’t ask for it outright. Without another word, she turned to her case and yanked out a faded Georgia Tech t-shirt that had once belonged to Roman and now was her favourite thing to sleep in when he wasn’t around. She’d had it for years and years, but never worn it until they’d gotten together.

                “You were doing something when you were rudely interrupted.” She offered him a small smile as encouragement and he nodded once, turning to grab the shorts that were on the bed next to a discarded shirt that he’d been wearing when he called. Jules smiled once more, grabbing the Do-Not-Disturb sign and hooking it on the outside of the door before going back in to get changed, finding Roman changed, but sitting with his head hanging low between his shoulders.

                It took Jules a minute to get changed, her clothes landing somewhere next to her bags before she was padding softly across the room and stopping in front of him, sighing when he took her hand and pulled her into his lap, burying his face into her shoulder.

                “Thought you said there was a party at my folks.” He mumbled into her skin and she smiled, removing his hair tie so she could run her fingers through his hair, pressing a kiss to his temple.

                “There was. I just was on a flight, that’s all.” She practically whispered, trying to soothe him as best she could. “I called your dad when I landed,” Jules continued, surmising what he was going to say next, “told me you put in one hell of a match and he’s proud of you for doing it; for working things out the hard way and not just taking the easy ride.”

                “Sometimes I just feel like I’m letting everyone down.” His voice was so small, so vulnerable that the lump from earlier had returned to her throat and it took her a good few minutes before her words were able to push past it.

                “You’re not though, Rome.” Jules leaned back, forcing him to look at her and grinning as she took his face in her hands. “You’re doing your family proud, you’re going out there five nights a week and representing.  You’re going to end up headlining Wrestlemania,” She leaned in and pressed a soft, comforting kiss to his lips and smiled at him. “And we all are incredibly proud of you. I have my Reigns shirt ready, I have those pretty boots you like and I have some nice painted on jeans to wear, because _I_ gotta represent my man when he wins.” She grinned at the smile pulling at Roman’s lips and leaned in to kiss him softly again.

                “Your family loves you, alright? _I love you_.”

Jules watched as Roman’s face morphed from slight amusement to shock to a whole other myriad of emotions and it dawned on her what she’d said. She’d grown up with him, watched him go from the quiet little boy to the brooding man, watched him become a father, become a wrestler, she’d been there for everything, just as he had for her and those words had been banded about like water, but right now, right now they were weighted. They meant something and they had never been said before between them.  

Her mouth went dry a little as she watched him search her face before she took a deep breath and swallowed. “I mean it, Roman.” She told him, finally feeling the giddiness wash over her, “But I don’t expect you to say it back, just putting it out there and showing you just how much you’re not letting anyone down.” She said in a rush, her eyes falling to the steady rise and fall of his chest, her safe place, being wrapped in his arms.

                “Okay,” he said, brushing her hair over her shoulder and pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth, easily standing and bending rearrange the blankets, kissing her to shush her panic about his hernia and her being heavy. “I had a good nurse, she wouldn’t have me here if she didn’t think I was fit to be doing any kind of lifting, heavy or otherwise.” he smirked as he settled her under the blankets and climbed in beside her. “Night, baby doll.” Roman whispered, pressing a kiss to her head as Jules settled herself against his chest, hand seeking out the ridge of his scar, as one of his big hands splayed across her back.

                “night, chief.” She smiled, trying to quell the panic and the irrational hurt that was welling inside of her that he hadn’t said it back, that he’d dismissed their conversation so quickly and settled them into bed. Pressing a kiss to his chest, she tried to calm herself down, to remember that he’d been wrestling tonight and travelling for three days, he would be tired and besides, he never really liked talking about things for long, maybe that was the reason.

                His hand moving across her back, fingers tracing patterns, patterns that were so familiar to her from the past six months,  were beginning to lull her into sleep when his deep chuckle filled the room and he leaned down to press a kiss to her hair.

                “What’s so funny?” She asked, frowning. Roman didn’t reply, the patterns he was tracing before becoming a little firmer and her brow furrowed further, his other hand linking with one of hers and bringing it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her finger tips as she pushed herself up to look at him. He still looked tired, bone wearily exhausted, but he looked a little happier, lighter somehow and she found herself getting a little lost in his face, the lines starting to form slightly around his eyes, the way his lips almost always had a little upward tilt to them when he just let himself relax.

                “You’re clueless. I give up.” He sighed before chuckling, sliding his hand under the t-shirt onto her bare skin, tracing his patterns with more purpose before what he was doing began to sink in. The patterns weren’t patterns. They weren’t random. They were letters. 8 of them to be exact. She began to giggle too, warmth blossoming in her chest as she watched the smile light up his face. He’d been telling her for so long; for _months_ and she’d never caught on. Every single _I miss you_ meant something else and she got it now; it was easier to admit he missed her than it ever would be to admit he loved her without being _sure_ she felt the same way.

                “Idiot.” She muttered between bouts of giggles.

                “Who, you or me?”

                “Both of us?” She asked, laughing a little and shaking her head at the fact she had a freaking _giggling_ Samoan in her bed. “What am I going to do with you Reigns?” Jules asked, tracing his hairline, a shiver passing through her when he kissed her wrist.

                “Show up at the Levi centre and represent?” he offered, tucking her back down against his chest and using the blanket to keep her there, even as his hand resumed his position on her back, tracing those words over and over again.

                “Does this mean you’re going to be there, too, then?” she grinned, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart.

                “Well who else is going to make you proud?”

                “Sap.”

                “Go the fuck to sleep Jules.”

                “Bet you’re glad they sent me, now, eh?” Jules smiled, lifting her head and tilting it to the side when she realised that he was already only semi-conscious. It was always going to be an uphill battle with the fans, with the company, with ensuring that Roman had the same amount of belief in himself as he pretended to have, as his family did. But that battle was won for tonight, her warrior was getting some well-earned rest. The road to Wrestlemania had well and truly began for him and while she couldn’t be more proud of him, she also knew that this was one of many battles of this war; a war that would only just be properly beginning on March 29th. With a final kiss to his chest, she lay down again, allowing the strength that he possessed make her feel safe and the sound of his heart that almost matched hers beat for beat to drag her into sleep.


End file.
